Gemma New
About this Artist
Known for her “unique sensitivity and a heightened attention to detail and texture” (The Washington Post) and “programming prowess” (Vancouver Sun), New Zealand–born Gemma New (ONZM) is Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and a highly sought-after guest conductor worldwide. She is the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2024.
Highlights of New’s 2025/2026 season include her debuts with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and with Houston Grand Opera leading a production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In the United States and Canada, she returns to lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada. Equally in demand in Europe, she returns to the BBC Philharmonic, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, and Bochumer Symphoniker.
In her fourth season as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, New conducts a string of fall 2025 performances in Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland, featuring the world premiere of an NZSO commission by Tabea Squire and collaborating with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and saxophonist Jess Gillam. Other NZSO highlights include performances of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.
2023/2024 marked New’s ninth and final season as Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario, Canada. She previously served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. A former Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, New was awarded Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awards in 2017, 2019, and 2020, before receiving the 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.